Day of the Trinity
by Michael Weyer
Summary: Instead of a face from his future, the Moment forms a face of the Doctor's past. And instead of a past self, he meets two familiar foes...who may be something more now. AU for Day of the Doctor, all comments welcomed.
1. Chapter 1

**Day of the Trinity**

**By Michael Weyer**

** The idea for this has kicked into my head for a while. I had originally planned to work it a bit into my "Survivor's Hearts" story but didn't seem quite to fit there. This, however, hit me suddenly so decided to get it out and hope to see some good reaction to it.**

* * *

"Why is there never a big red button?"

It seemed an odd question but it wasn't like anyone was around to hear him. He stood in the run down shack in what was now basically a wasteland, studying the item before him. It was hard to believe this small box could be the thing that obliterated two entire species but then again, he was more than used to how huge things came in small packages. It had aspects of a clock but quite detailed and elaborate. He'd spent the last hour studying it and trying to figure it out but just couldn't quite grasp it.

"How do you work?" he muttered as he knelt down. "Honestly, a big red button-" He stopped as he heard sounds from outside, moving to the door. "Hello?" He called out. "Is someone there?"

"It's nothing. Just another training exercise."

The War Doctor (it was odd to think of himself that way but he'd learned it fit a few centuries before and seemed better now) whirled about to stare at the source of the voice. She sat on a pile of rocks near the box, her loose white dress flowing nicely over her body, sandy blond hair combed back, her pretty face with pert nose and light smile and those dazzling eyes focused on him.

"Romana," he rasped out. "What are you doing here?"

"Where else would I be?" She answered with a shrug. "It's interesting how you parked the TARDIS so far off and walked here. Five miles, a long journey for a simple activity you never do. But you did it. Because you didn't want her to see what you were doing." She cocked her head. "All that walk and all in your mind were two words: No. More."

"No more," the War Doctor repeated softly. He turned to study the woman carefully. "You're not Romana, are you? And I don't mean, not the Romana from this time, an earlier incarnation or such."

"You're right," the woman said. "I'm….something else."

A beeping got the War Doctor's attention and he crouched to examine the box. "It's powering up…"

"That's why I'm here."

The man turned to her, frowning before understanding flashed into his eyes. "You're…the Moment created you?"

"A form you knew and trusted seemed best."

"Romana, though? Not Brigadier? Sarah Jane? Jamie? I've known so many people…"

"And you'll know more," Romana (he still had to think of her that way) said. "But I was always something different. An equal in so many ways and let's face it, you don't have too many of those. Oh, I know your companions all have their strengths, all brought something to the table…Even Mel and Peri…But with me…well, you must admit, it had to be refreshing to have someone around you automatically didn't have to 'dumb down' to talk to."

The old man smiled. "Yes. Those were good days, weren't they? I always…liked him the most to be honest."

"That incarnation had his dark parts," Romana pointed out. "But he also knew that without hope, life wasn't worth living for. He always reached for the brighter side."

"Yes," the War Doctor said. "And if he had just done what needed to be done way back when…I wouldn't be here now."

He stared at the box as Romana gazed at him. "So that's what this all is, isn't it?" she softly asked. "All these centuries later and you still wonder if you shouldn't have done the universe a favor and wiped them out in the cradle."

"Can you deny I could have saved so may that way?" he fired back. "How many billions have died because of my choice?"

"Far less than have lived because of you," she responded without rancor. "If you had done that, it would have set you on a path that would have changed you forever, Doctor. And not in a good way."

"A sacrifice for the greater good."

"Ah, that old chestnut," Romana smirked. "I've heard that one before regarding the other two."

"Who?"

"The Unholy Trinity. That's what they used to call you three in your university days, wasn't it? The Doctor, the Master and the Rani. The three of you thick as thieves, causing trouble, none of you obeying the status quo." She crossed her legs on her seat. "But you did it simply because you wanted to explore. The other two…The Master had his madness and the Rani was driven by her own curiosity but without your ethics. You were different, Doctor. And that's why you let the Daleks live back then."

"I did," he rasped. "And now…I have to destroy them."

The image of Romana studied him. "You're certain of that then? It's what you want? Daleks and Time Lords in one massive go together?" The War Doctor remained silent as Romana stood. "I can do it. But there will be consequences."

"I have no wish to survive this."

She smiled. "Ah, the soldier side coming to the fore." She stepped forward to face him. "You'll live. That's what I meant by consequences. You'll live with the knowledge of what you've done and why. You'll live with the cost of it all." She cocked her head. "Now I agree some of them deserve it; Rassilon and his Final Solution madness for example. But what about the children?"

"I don't want to think about that," he snapped.

"You will," she softly said. "One night in the darkness, you'll count them. Every one. What do you think you'll do then?"

He shook his head. "If there was another way…I'd take it."

"Yes, because it always has to be you. Alone." She looked at him, cocking her head. "Maybe that's it, then. It's why you always had a companion with you, someone to talk to, someone to stop you if need be. Maybe…that's what you need now."

A wind suddenly picked up and the old man looked up as what appeared to be a whirling vortex formed in the air before him. "What is that?" he asked.

"A window," Romana answered. "Into your future. And to someone…someones…who can help."

She seemed ready to see more only for a red fez to land right before the old man.

"That was unexpected."

* * *

_Pain was no stranger to him. Neither was death. Both together…well, it was something. But he'd survived far, far worse. He'd ripped through his body so many times and sent his spirit outward. He'd gone through forms numerous times and collapses of star systems and suns. This…this was nothing to him. He could survive as he always had. _

_ He wasn't sure how far he'd fallen or when he'd started. It had begun just he'd entered the rift, blasting Rassilon over and over, the agony of being used all those centuries ripping out of him in bursts of deadly energy. He was ready to keep it up, to spend eternity if he had to paying that man back for all he'd done. Transforming a boy into a murderous maniac and somehow HE was the one dismissed as a monster? He was ready to make that old man pay for that, to make him feel the horrors that child had grown to dish out to others…_

_ And then…_

_ Then he was yanked away by some force, one last blast erupting out of him. He was falling, falling through white, dark and other colors. Falling through levels of pain and agony worse than his last regeneration. He couldn't help yelling out as it went on and on, seemingly never-ending, doing his best to keep his wits as he continued to fall…_

With a loud gasp, the Master smacked into the hard ground. He lay still for several minutes, feeling his hearts beat on fast as his mind tried to process what had happened. He still felt pain but it was starting to fade as he slowly sat up, wincing. He brushed at his hair, feeling it quite short still and was still clad in his jeans and dark shirt. He rose up, brushing at his clothes as he looked about. It was a forest of some sort, he couldn't quite place the exact time or planet but it felt oddly familiar.

The Master had taken a few steps when he stopped and raised a hand to his head. He smacked it a few times, as if trying to shake something loose and the listened to what he heard. Or what he didn't. Those drums...those damnable drums were finally silenced.

It was…so odd. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been so clear-headed. Oh, he'd had shifts now and then in various regenerations but the drumbeats had always been there. They'd gotten worse when he made the jump into Tremas and then that human driver. But now…They were gone. And yet he didn't feel that much different. No guilt over his actions as one might expect, no regrets, no ghosts of those he had murdered. Just a…realization was the best way to put. Realizing how he had misused and wasted so much of his life. Oh, he still felt that need for power and control but now realized there had to be much different ways of going about it.

The beginning of what might have been a life-changing introspection was marred by the sound of voices. Frowning, the Master carefully moved through the forest path, coming to a stone bridge, peeking around it to see two women. They were both clad in ornate dresses that he recognized as Earth of the Middle Ages, European mainly. It took a moment to recognize one of the women as a young Queen Elizabeth I, regal as ever, attractive with dark hair and a lovely dress. Her companion was a tall woman with lush black hair flowing down, her dress a bit more modern, complete with pockets, dark red to contrast with the forest green, very beautiful but an air about her with her little smirk.

"Dear Rani," Elizabeth was saying in her famous voice. "Must we continue like this?"

The Master's eyes widened. _Rani?!_

The other woman responded in her own cool accent. "Until I find that creature and figure out who is who here…"

"But I'm me! You can tell!"

"Usually, yes but this lot is trickier than usual, I can't just…" She was silenced as Elizabeth suddenly moved in to give her a quick kiss. "Does that not prove it?"

"Only that you're more open than history books gave you credit for," the Rani said wiping her lips. "As I told you…or the real Elizabeth at least…I do not favor you that way."

"You refuse the Queen?"

"As there's a 50/50 chance you're a Zygon, I say yes." The woman turned and headed off. "You go back to the castle as fast as you can, don't trust anyone. That way, I know who's who if the other one comes in."

"Return soon, my good heart!" With a wave, the Queen raced as fast as she could into the forest. The other woman rubbed her temples with a sigh, muttering under her breath. At the crack of a tree branch, she whirled around, her hands to a pocket of her dress. She stared as the Master stepped forward, his mouth moving into a smile. "Well, well, well. Fancy meeting you here…Rani."

She peered closely at him, searching his eyes until it clicked and her own widened. "Master?" As he nodded, she scoffed. "I should have known. If anyone could find a way to survive, it would be you."

"And you," he noted as he looked her over. "The last I heard, you were attached to the Fifth as they attacked the Dalek forces at the Bridge."

"I was," she stated, brushing her hair back. "As soon as the ships started going up, I got to my TARDIS and took it as far as I could out of there."

"Landing on Earth? Interesting choice."

"It wasn't my first stop," she explained. "My journeys just brought me here." She was quiet for a moment before speaking again. "Did…did anyone else…"

"You. Me. And the Doctor." The Master grunted. "That man would survive the crunch of the universe."

"He did it, didn't he?" The Rani shook her head. "The damn fool actually did it. He ended it all for all of us."

"Have to admit, I never really thought he had it in him," the Master stated as she sat on a nearby stump. "The man who was always speaking of the sacred cost of life and such and he ends up being a greater killer than I would have imagined."

The Rani was gazing off. "You didn't see him near the end. He was older, much older than ever. He was run down by the fighting, tired, just wanted an end to it, no matter what it took."

"He survived," The Master said. "I met him about two regenerations afterward."

"And?" The Rani asked. "He just brush it off?"

"Actually, he seemed regretful," the Master stated. "Of course, he was more interested in trying to help me. Even after I tortured him, aged him, ruined his world…He was still more interested in saving me than hurting me."

The Rani shook her head. "I never understood you two. Friends, so much alike but letting this childish rivalry of yours expand to such ridiculous lengths. Not to mention all the time you wasted on petty pursuit of power. I always said you were unbalanced."

"You were right there with us much of the time," the Master pointed out. "And what have you been up to, anyway? Still using lesser races for your little experiments?"

The Rani brushed at her dress. "If you must know, I've…cut back on that a bit."

The Master was surprised. "Oh? Really? Don't tell me you got a conscience with your last regeneration."

She was silent for a moment, looking down. "Did you see it? What he did?"

"No. No, I…ran. Ran as far and as fast as I could until I couldn't remember myself anymore." He could remember that, the fear driving him on, driving him to take on a human form and live on for decades, oddly helping others. He'd wondered before if, somehow, Yana had been based on the Doctor, a strange way to cover his true identity. He had pushed it aside as Saxon but now…well, he had a lot more time to reflect on such things.

"I did." She glanced to him. "Just before I escaped, I saw it. The final moment. Gallifrey engulfed, the Daleks wiped out and the Time Lords as well. I saw it burn to nothing."

The Master was jarred at how her face truly seemed to be mournful as was her tone. "Since when have you cared? You always had pride in your contempt of them."

"There's a difference between not liking a few antiqued teachers and wishing my entire species dead," the Rani snapped, nostrils flaring. She calmed down as she looked off. "I did love the planet itself. You did too, as much as you can deny it. And you cannot tell me you felt nothing when you learned they were gone."

The Master's silence was her answer as she brushed at her dress. "So…" he began, desperate to change the subject. "Zygons?"

The Rani nodded. "I landed her a few weeks ago, just a brief stop. But while I was getting supplies, I detected their presence about the palace. They don't belong on Earth, especially in this time period and I was curious. So, I managed to work my way into the Queen's inner circle to investigate."

"That easily?"

She raised an eyebrow. "I can be charming if I need to be."

"You are a bit less on the bitchy side this time around," he acknowledged. "Almost attractive. To a degree, of course."

"Evidently, Elizabeth mistook my interest for something else." The Rani rolled her eyes. "Humans. Why the Doctor insists on protecting these little ants…"

"Well, as much as I hate to say it, they can have charms," the Master stated. "I was Prime Minister of England for a while and met a few fair ones."

"You? Prime Minister? You hate politics."

"Oddly, that appealed to most of my voters."

The Rani shook her head as she looked off. "You two…Putting so much into the faith of others."

"Whereas you saw them as nothing but subject and test matter."

"Mostly," she admitted. "Elizabeth…I must admit, I have a respect for her. Strong, intelligent, very capable, has opened my eyes to how humans can be."

"Looked like she was opening a lot more than that…"

A blast of air echoed and had both of them on alert, the Master jumping to his feet. They looked up at a vortex appeared in the air slightly above them. Something whipped out of it, landing right at their feet: A red fez with a tassel.

The two Time Lords exchanged baffled looks as another sound came through the vortex. It took a moment for them to recognize it as a bright voice yelling out. _"Geronimoooooooooo!" _A figure fell from the portal to land before them. He appeared young with dark hair, dressed in a tweed coat and matching pants with a bow tie. He brushed at his clothes as he looked around. "Well, that was rather bracing. Now then, what's…" He stopped as he took in the two people before him, his eyes widening in shock. "You?" he whispered. "Master? How are you…"

The Rani slowly leaned over. "Tell me that's not…"

"It is," the Master stated. "No matter how he changes, he never really changes."

"And gets younger each time. That is amazingly unfair."

The Doctor was holding out his sonic screwdriver but the other two just scoffed. "What are you going to do, assemble a cabinet at us?" The Master scoffed.

The man simply stared in disbelief at the Master. "How did you get out of the rift?"

"To be honest, not sure myself," the Master admitted. "Or why I'm here." He looked the man over. "Really, Doctor, getting worse each time you regenerate. Bow tie?"

"Bow ties are cool," the Doctor snapped. "And I have a fez." He picked it up to put it on his head. "See?"

Rolling his eyes, the Master grabbed the fez and tossed it into the open portal over the Doctor's objections. "Just how are you here?"

"UNIT, ancient message in stone, portal, here, satisfied?" The Doctor looked to the Rani. "New wife? Looks a bit smarter than the last one."

"Last one?" The Rani stared at the Master with a laugh. "You actually got married? Good God, you are mad."

"Jealous? You seem in the market for a lady yourself…"

"I already said, that was not intentional…"

"And yet you hardly disagreed…"

"Sure not married?" the Doctor asked.

"Doctor, Rani, Rani, Doctor, we're all set now?"

The Doctor stared at her in wonder. "Rani?" His face was softer now. "My word. This is…well, this is interesting. I had no idea you survived."

"Seems to be going around," she intoned, crossing her arms.

The Master looked at each in turn, his mind whirling. "The three of us together. The Unholy Trinity once more. This is interesting. The man who helps people, the one who rules, the one who searches. All of somehow united and I doubt it's by fate. No, we're here for a reason and I highly suspect that-"

"Oh, God, not the Master one-man show! Anything but the Master one-man show!" the Rani groaned. She brushed her hair back. "I have a Zygon to track and then get off this planet again. You two wish to continue this petty fight of yours, go right on ahead, I am not in the mood for it."

"Wait, wait, wait!" the Doctor called up. "It's just the three of us, Rani! We're the only ones left, you can't just-"

There was a plopping sound as the fez once more landed on the ground. The trio stared in confusion before a yelling came through the portal. From it emerged an elderly figure with a white beard and hair, dressed in some scruffy leather clothes and gloves. He picked up the hat as he called out. "Anyone lose a fez?"

The old man brushed at his coat. "Well, that was bracing." He looked at the trio, who stared back at him in various expressions of shock and a bit of fear. "Hello there. I'm looking for the Doctor."

The three just stared still, the Master and the Rani exchanging glances. "Do you know where he might be?" the old man continued.

"We do," the Rani allowed.

"Splendid!" The old man grinned. "Who are you lot? Oh, of course, you're his companions!"

"His…what?" the Master let out a short laugh.

The old man looked to the Rani. "Well, you're a bit older than he goes for but…" As she sputtered, he put his hands behind his back. "Well, if you can just point me to the general direction of the Doctor…"

The other two glanced to the man in the bow tie who reached into his pocket to pull out a very familiar device. He extended it out as it gave off a beeping sound. The old man's smile faded as he stared in understanding. "Really?"

"Sadly, yes," the Master said.

"You're me?"

"Believe it or not," the Rani intoned.

"You're my future self?"

"Yes!" all three snapped at him.

The War Doctor looked to the Master. "You too?"

He chuckled. "No. Oh, no, but we do know each other very closely."

The War Doctor peered in confusion before his eyes widened. "Master? You're alive again?"

As the man nodded, the War Doctor glanced over to the woman. "Then that makes you…Rani." As she nodded, he let out a long breath. "You three together? Am I having a mid-life crisis?"

He took a step forward only for all of them to be alert, the Doctor pointing his screwdriver at him. "What are you doing? That's a scientific instrument, not a water pistol!"

The Doctor backed up, trying to be calm. "Well…do love the posh gravity look."

"The beard doesn't really suit you," the Master put in.

"Brave words, scruff face."

There was a sudden chorus of loud yells as men in armor and helmets burst out of the forest. The Time Lords were alert, the Doctor raising his screwdriver and the Master his arms. The men surrounded the group, spears pointed at them. One man, his outfit more elaborate, stepped forward. "Which of you is the outsider?" he asked. "The Queen of England is bewitched. I would have the head of one from the land of Gallifrey!"

The War Doctor raised his eyebrows. "Well," he began in a cheerful tone. "This is certainly shaping up to be your lucky day."

* * *

**If you need a visual for this new Rani, just imagine Jamie Murray of "Warehouse 13" and "Spartacus" fame, always thought she'd be fun in the role. Some answers as to why they're all here will come next chapter, all comments welcomed. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Day of the Trinity**

**By Michael Weyer**

* * *

The soldiers had their weapons raised as the Doctor waved his screwdriver about. "I'll handle this," the Master intoned, flexing his hands before hurling one out, palm up. He paused in place as absolutely nothing happened. Frowning, he tried again, flexing his hand outward.

"Just what on Earth are you doing, stretching at them?" the War Doctor asked.

The Master frowned as he looked at his hand. "It's…gone. The energy…It must have been drained in the rift…"

"Performance issues?" the Rani dryly asked.

The War Doctor glanced to the other Doctor. "Well, what happens next?'

"I have no idea."

The War Doctor stared. "How can you forget this?!"

"Oi, not my fault, you obviously weren't remembering it well!"

"Silence!" the head of the soldiers called out. "I would have the woman who has bewitched the Queen."

"That would be her," the Master said, pointing to the Rani. He shrugged at her gape. "Are you seriously going to act surprised at me handing you over?"

_"I think there's more than one of them now." _Everyone started at the soft female voice that echoed from the portal.

_"There's a precedent for that," _another woman's voice, stronger and older, followed.

"What is that?" the leader of the soldiers said. "What witchcraft is this?"

"Ah, yes," the Doctor said. "Now that you mention it, this is witchcraft. Yes, witchy witchcraft." He looked up to the portal. "Hello! Hello there! Am I talking to the wicked witch of the well?"

"_Why am I the _witch?" the voice said, sounding insulted.

"Clara?" the Doctor called out. "Clara, hi, can you be a dear and mind telling these prattling mortals to get themselves begone?"

_"Right. What he said."_

The Doctor coughed and spoke softer. "Tiny bit more colour."

"_Ah, right." _The voice tried to speak with some authority. "_Prattling mortals, off your pop or I'll…turn you into frogs!" _

As the soldiers backed up, the Master smirked at the Rani. "I love this period. Superstition just enhances the already amazing gullibility level of the human race." She had to give a nod of agreement at that.

_"Doctor, what's going on?" _

"Oh, just a…little…timey-wimey thing."

"Timey what?" The War Doctor stared at his future self. "Timey-wimey?"

The Master leaned in. "If you want to know where he gets that from…"

At that moment, a regal woman entered the clearing. "The Queen!" the soldiers gasped as they immediately fell to their knees. She looked to the Time Lords with a smile. "You don't seem to be kneeling. How tremendously brave of you."

"What happened to the other one?" the Rani demanded.

"Indisposed." The woman smirked. "Long live the Queen." The soldiers took up the cry. "Arrest them," she ordered. "Take them to the Tower."

The Rani stepped forward to point. "That is not the Queen of England! That is an alien imposter!"

"And you can take it from her because she's really checked," the Master dryly said.

"Shut. Up." The Rani bit out.

"Venom sacs under the tongue…"

"Stop it!"

"Wait, the Tower?" the Doctor asked, moving forward, waving his hands and checking his watch. "Love the Tower! Breakfast at eight, please and will there be wi-fi?"

"Are you capable of speaking without flapping your hands about?" the War Doctor demanded.

"Yes," the Doctor said, waving, then clapping his hands together. "No." He turned to the soldiers as he hiked a thumb toward his companions. "I demand to be locked in the tower immediately with my co-conspirators, David Bowie, Extensions and Granddad."

"Granddad?!" the War Doctor snapped.

"They're not extensions!" the Rani put in.

The War Doctor looked at her hair with a snort. "Yes they are!"

"Silence!" the Queen snapped. "The Tower is not to be taken lightly." She made a gesture. "Take them!"

As the soldiers gripped her arms, the Rani glared at the others. "I hate you. Both of you. It's very important you realize that."

"Used to it," the Doctor noted as they were dragged off.

* * *

The Master looked about the large cell they were in. "Hmmm…I've been in much worse."

"Color me shocked," the Rani intoned as she peeled off her top coat and set it aside. She looked to the War Doctor scanning the door with his sonic screwdriver. "It won't work, too primitive."

"No problem, I'll simply ring up for a better quality of door."

"Right," the Master said. "So, Queen of England a Zygon, all of us together but how and why?" He glanced to the War Doctor. "Especially you."

A movement caught his eye and the elder man looked to see Romana sitting next to him, putting a finger to her lips. Given how no one else reacted, he realized only he could see her and decided to keep quiet. He shrugged as he looked to the door. "In theory, I can trigger an isolated shift among the molecules and the door should disintegrate…"

"You'd have to calculate the exact harmonic resonance down to a sub-atomic level," the Rani said in exasperation. "Your sonic would take centuries. Mine could break it down faster."

"Where is it?"

The Rani looked away. "I…might have left it in my purse. In my TARDIS."

The Master chuckled from his seat nearby. "All that genius and you always miss the obvious bits. Some things never change."

The Rani glared at him. "At least I still have my original body."

"Ah, but this is a new and improved model, plenty of regenerations left," the Master smirked. "Part of a…gift the Time Lords gave me upon my resurrection."

"Yes, they were so kind toward you," the Doctor dryly noted. "Especially Rassilon."

A frown came to the Rani's face. "How do you mean?"

The Doctor glanced toward his other self. "Spoilers."

The Rani looked toward the Doctor. "Just what are you doing?"

"Leaving myself a note," he replied.

"Ah, more 'timey-wimey' antics," the War Doctor said. "You're all grown up, must you act like children?" He saw the three look off and sighed. "The way you all look at me…what is that? I'm trying to think of a better word than 'dread.'"

"Let's just say the last time each of us saw you, it wasn't pleasant," the Master said.

"It must be really recent for you," the other Doctor stated.

"Recent?"

"The Time War. The day you killed them all."

"You mean the day _you_ killed them all," the Rani corrected.

"Same thing," the Doctor replied with a shrug as he turned back to the wall.

The image of Romana moved closer. "It's all history to them," she stated. "All decided. They think it's all set and written down. They don't know that you still have time to make the right choice."

The old man just sat, musing over her words. "Ask them," she pressed. "You came all this way to find out. So do it."

"Did you ever count?" he finally blurted.

"Count what?" the Doctor said.

"How many children were on Gallifrey that day?"

The Doctor paused for a moment before continuing. "I have absolutely no idea." He could feel the eyes of others on him, both the Master and the Rani now quite interested in this.

"How old are you?" the War Doctor asked. "I get the feeling you're at least one regeneration after me."

"I don't know, I lose track," the Doctor shrugged. "Twelve hundred and something, I think. Unless I'm lying. I can't remember if I'm lying about my age, that's how old I am."

"Four hundred years older than me," the other Doctor noted. "You're going to tell me that in all that time, you never counted? Not even once?"

The Doctor whirled on him, his eyes hard. "Tell me…what would be the point?"

"Two point four seven billion." The Rani's voice was flat but her eyes flashed a bit as she recited the number.

The War Doctor raised his eyebrows. "You counted!"

The Rani tried to brush it aside. "I've always had a mind for numbers, you know that. It just…came to me." She looked to the Doctor. "But you never counted? After all that?"

The Master rose to his feet, moving toward the man in the bow tie, his face a mix of wonder and anger. "Is that all it takes, Doctor? Just four hundred years? That's all the time it takes to forget something like that?"

"I moved on," the Doctor retorted.

"_You _moved on?" The Master let out a short laugh without mirth. "You? The man who clings to the past and friendships and that miserable little planet for so long. You somehow, in just four centuries, moved on from what you did?"

The Doctor moved forward, his face tight in anger. "You are going to lecture me on this? I gave up counting how many lives you destroyed centuries ago. I've seen the trail of death and destruction you've left in your wake so don't you dare, _don't you dare_ get on me about forgetting what I did."

"You're not me," the Master spat. "I did what I did because I had to…" He cut himself off. "No, let's be honest, because I wanted to. Yes, Rassilon's manipulations drove me on…"

"So you're using him as an excuse?"

"Excuses are for the weak. No, I still made my choices and my actions and maybe I have a flash of regret time to time but I can still live with what I've done. You…" He shook his head. "You just ignore it, just pack it up and pretend it never happened? What the hell happened to make you this way?"

"You contributed," the Doctor intoned. "Or shall I mention that year of Hell you put me through?"

The Master leaned in. "Yes, I put you through Hell. And how did you respond? You forgave me. You tried to save me. That's who you are, Doctor, as much as I loathe it. Not this."

"He's right." The two glanced to the Rani as she stood up. "Why else would you choose that name for yourself? The man who makes people better. Sanctimonious but it also fit. You always try to find another way, always." She glanced over to the War Doctor. "Yet somehow, you came to the conclusion that one grand wiping out of our entire race was the best way to go. That's not you, Doctor. That's not the man I respected, even if hated. The man who adores life so much that he'd give up his own to save one human. I much prefer that to a man who decides mass genocide is the only method left."

"Last resort," he grunted.

The Rani looked at him with something akin to sadness. "You always said that a last resort was no resort at all." It was obvious it wasn't just the older Doctor she was talking to.

The man in the bow tie glared at her, then to his other self. "You think I didn't try to find another way? Any other way? There wasn't time, not even for us. The Daleks were attacking, Rassilon was pushing his Final Sanction. I didn't act, the effects on the universe…" He shook his head. "I made a decision. Sacrifice for the greater good and I lived with it."

The War Doctor had little clue what was going on as he gathered much of the talk between his future self and the Master had to do with events yet to come. Yet the way the other man, younger and yet so much older, was reacting was quite troubling. And the fact the Master and the Rani felt the same was bothering him even more.

The Master cocked his head. "So this is how it starts," he softly intoned. "This is where the path finally leads. Deep down, I never thought it could happen but here it is."

"What?" the Doctor asked in an off-hand voice as he went back to his carving.

"You're turning into…him."

The Doctor froze in place. "Don't you dare," he hissed, all humor vanished from his demeanor.

"It's the truth," The Master pressed. "The coldness, the willingness to look past your actions, to cling to life, put yourself first." He smiled. "This is how you become the Valeyard."

The War Doctor stiffened visibly at the mention of the name. For her part, the Rani was confused. "Who?"

The Master's eyes remained on the Doctor as he answered her. "There's evil in everyone. Even him. The Valeyard was an amalgamation of all the darkest parts of the Doctor's nature. Sometime between his twelfth and final regenerations." He looked the Doctor over. "Which I do believe is where you're close to being now. He tried to destroy the Doctor and steal his remaining lives before vanishing." He smirked. "But it seems he's ready to make a comeback."

"I'm not him," the Doctor denied. "I'm nothing like either of you."

"Doctor…When you chose to sacrifice your own planet for what you termed a greater good…You took one major step toward both of us," the Rani stated.

"I don't know you," the War Doctor announced. "Any of you. And especially not you." He nodded to his older self.

"He's you," Romana put in. "He's what you become if you destroy Gallifrey. There's two more between him and you and they carry their own burdens. The one right after you chooses to run and try to ignore what he did. The other carries the pain every day and it shapes what he does." She made a sad smile. "That's what you become; the one who rejects; the one who regrets; and the one who forgets."

The old man looked at his other self, so young and yet so much older. To be overwhelmed with the guilt of what he did was bad enough. But that he could get to the point of getting over such a horror…that frightened him. And nothing more than the idea of becoming the Valeyard. He could never accept that was truly some sort of future version of himself but he knew…he knew deep down he was certainly capable of it. But this was confirming that he may become something even worse.

"The Moment is coming," Romana continued. "I'm already here but it's up to you. It has to be your decision. Do you let it all continue? Be as they think it must be?"

The War Doctor was playing with his sonic screwdriver. "No. No, I won't." If this was what he was to become, he'd much rather take a different path.

"You have the tools to change it," Romana said. "Both of you."

He glanced at her, confused at her smile. Then, as so often in the past, he realized what she was saying and chuckled. That laugh cut through the tension of the other tree as they looked at him. "Something funny?" the Rani asked.

"It just struck me…this must be what I'm like when I'm alone."

"You're worse, trust me," the Master sniffed.

"Four hundred years…"

"What?" the other Doctor asked.

The War Doctor held up the screwdriver. "At a software level, they're all the same device, aren't they? Same software, different case."

"Yeah, so?" The Doctor didn't seem to understand but the Rani straightened as she did. "So," she began. "It would take centuries for that screwdriver to calculate how to take out the door…" She watched the War Doctor stand up and run the screwdriver over the doorway, the device beeping as it did. "A scan constantly working as a subroutine in the software…"

A loud beep came from the other Doctor's screwdriver as he held it up, his eyes lighting up. "Calculation complete," he grinned.

The Master lifted his own eyebrow. "Not bad. My past selves and I rarely have such cooperation."

"A shocker," the Rani noted.

"Well, that's what makes us special," the Doctor chuckled. "Four centuries in four seconds! We put our minds together, we are incredibly clever."

At that moment, the door burst open as a young woman with dark hair, blouse and skirt raced in. She stopped and stared at them in confusion, which they returned. "Right, that's more his age," the Master noted.

"How did you do that?" the Doctor asked, pointing at the door.

The girl shrugged. "It wasn't locked."

"Right." The Doctor could take solace in how he wasn't the only one embarrassed right now. "Oh, this is Clara, by the way. Clara, that's my past self, despite the fact he's older, you remember him." She gave a wave as the Doctor motioned to the others. "This is the Rani and this is the Master, yes, both Time Lords, used to be schoolmates, they've tried to kill me at least a dozen times each."

"Know how that goes," Clara said. "Hold a mo. Four of you, together and none of you thought to check the door?" She waved to it to emphasize her point.

"It should have been locked," the War Doctor defended them all.

"Why wasn't it?" the Rani mused.

"Because I wanted to see what you did," came the voice of Queen Elizabeth as she stepped into the room. "I understand you're rather fond of this planet."

"He is," the Rani said, hiking a thumb at the Doctor. "Personally, I don't much give a damn." The Master gave an assenting nod.

The Queen smiled. "I wish to show you what will happen to it." She turned on her heel and marched away. After a few glances, the Time Lords fell in after her, honest curiosity driving them on. They were soon moving into the lower parts of the Tower, a larger chamber filled with various alien devices. A few Zygons were moving about, looking with interest at the arrivals but busy. What got their attention was a large framed object on the wall that showed a flat landscape. "The Zygons lost their own home world," Elizabeth was saying. "It burnt in the first days of the Time War. A new home is required."

"So they want this one," Clara realized.

"Not yet," came the reply. "It's far too primitive. Zygons are used to a certain level of…comfort."

The Master snorted. "Yes, they are. Never did like those beasts, always have to be right. They're not warriors or conquerors, they're squatters."

One Zygon frowned as he saw the group. "Commander, why are these creatures here?"

Elizabeth's tone was cold. "Because I say they should be. It is time you too were translated. I believe you will find it fascinating."

The Zygon nodded as he moved to a nearby glass cube and put his hands on it. In a flash of light, he vanished and at the same moment, the framed object nearby showed his image. "That's him!" Clara gasped. "That's the Zygon in the picture now!"

"It's not a picture," the War Doctor explained. "It's a stasis cube. Time Lord art, moments frozen in time, bigger than a simple painting inside but could be deployed as…"

"Suspended animation," the Rani noted, her face a mix of wonder and respect. "They pop into the pictures, wait a few centuries for Earth to be good enough for them and then out they come, take the appearance of some top humans and set things up."

"As I said, nothing but squatters," the Master intoned.

"Hang on," Clara said. "Why are you telling us your entire plan?"

"Because she's not the Zygon," the Rani stated. "She's the real Elizabeth. Am I right?"

The woman smiled. "You are the bright one, my dear. Yes, I am. I managed to kill my double in the forest." She reached into her dress to pull out a knife. "I am accustomed to taking precautions. These creatures never even considered that I survived rather than their commander." She sniffed. "Such arrogance is typical of their kind."

"Zygons?" Clara asked.

"Men."

The Rani laughed at that, Clara smiled and the Master and the Doctors seemed annoyed. "You actually killed a Zygon?" the Doctor pressed.

"I may have the body of a weak and feeble woman," the Queen began. "But at the time, so did the Zygon." She brought herself up. "I gather the future of my kingdom is at stake."

"Actually, by 2013, it's not that much…" the Master started but the Doctor cut him off with a wave.

"I need my TARDIS," the Rani stated.

"It is already procured for you." The Queen smiled. "But first…" She leaned in for a kiss. "You must promise to return to me."

"I really don't…"

"Rani," the Doctor hissed. "When Queen Elizabeth I tells you to promise something, I'd recommend you listening."

She frowned and shrugged. "Fine, fine, I'll come back."

"Excellent," the Queen smiled. "I shall hold you to it." The smile tightened. "Or else you shall understand my wrath."

Clara shook her head. "Seriously, seen so many movies, none of them get her so scary."

* * *

The Rani's TARDIS was far different than the Doctor's own. The outside was in the shape of a large cabinet that opened into a mostly dark grey room with circular posts about the walls. Much of it was clinical and yet some aspects of a personality, a steel circular model above the main rotors, shelves of various ingredients and devices on the walls and other bits Clara was sure she didn't want to know more about.

"Right," the Doctor began. "Set for the future, the National Gallery, the Zygons are underneath it."

"No, UNIT HQ," Clara intoned. "They followed us there to something called the Black Archive."

Four cold stares answered her.

"Okay…so you've heard of that, then."

"It was among what I discovered as Saxon," the Master said. "A secret room of information designed to keep a Time Lord out."

"I did work for them in the 1980's," the Rani said. She saw the Doctor's look and shrugged. "It was a consulting job, needed some information from UNIT and helped to get some technology I required."

"Blast," the Doctor hissed, rubbing his temple. "Zygons in control is one thing but if the actual UNIT soldiers get out, it can be worse."

"How?" Clara asked.

"The fail-safe," the Master intoned. "The one they think we don't know about. Thermo-nuclear device under the Archive, prepared to wipe London off the map if used."

"If we had my TARDIS, I could use the Space-Time Telegraph to try and talk to Stewart," the Doctor stated.

"Who?"

"Kate Lethbridge-Stewart."

"As in…"

"His daughter."

The Master let out a whistle. "If she's anything like the old man then, London is history."

The Rani was clicking some switches. "Don't worry, Doctor, I can get you to your TARDIS in time to escape the explosion…"

"I need to get in there."

The Rani sighed. "I knew you were going to say that. You just have to do it, don't you? You have to risk yourself to save a few million humans."

The Doctor moved toward her, face set. "You're going to do it, Rani. You know you want to as well."

"Do I?"

The Doctor just stared at her as she looked away. "Oh, get it done already," the Master said. "We both know how insufferable he is when he's like this and he'll get his way in the end anyhow." He shrugged. "Besides, London's not too bad a town, hate to see my favorite lunch spot wiped out."

The Rani threw up her hands. "Even if I agree, how can we do it? You know the Tower is now TARDS-proof."

"How?" Clara asked.

"Alien technology added to human stupidity, it can work wonders."

"We don't need to land…" the War Doctor mused.

The Rani pointed to him. "See, he agrees with me!"

"Actually, no." The War Doctor moved forward to place a small cube onto the TARDIS console. The other three Time Lords stared at her before all shared smiles.

The Master glanced to the Rani. "Have any male clothes on board?"

"I'm always prepared."

The Master smirked as they both moved off. "Where are you going?" the Doctor called out.

"Style, Doctor. Unlike you, we enjoy style."

"Bow tie! Fez!"

The War Doctor rolled his eyes, wondering when he'd find an incarnation with some clothes sense again.

* * *

The mood in the Archive was tight as the two sides of doppelgangers faced off against each other. The back and forth between the two versions of Kate Lethbridge-Stewart over canceling or continuing the countdown had ended in a stalemate. Neither one was going to back down, the real Kate making it clear the sacrifice of London was worth it to end the Zygon threat and the Zygon version determined to call what he/she/it thought was a bluff.

Osgood knew it wasn't. She knew Kate was going to go ahead and kill millions if she had to. She sucked in breath, wishing she had her inhaler, whispering a prayer she hadn't used in years for help. A prayer that somehow, some way, that man she'd admired so long could do something, anything to save this planet again…

A smashing sound rocked the entire room as the painting on the wall flashed and a massive black robotic form crashed through the glass. It flew outward to land by a nearby cabinet, a wind from nowhere howling. All eyes turned to the painting as if by magic, a quartet of figures exited. One was an elderly man with grey beard in dusty and used clothing. The second a young man in a suit and bow tie. The third had bright blond hair, clad in a stylish black suit with matching coat and a smirk. The final one was a woman with lush black hair flowing down, wearing sensible dark blue pants, a matching vest and coat of her own. They marched forward in perfect unison to stop before the stunned humans and Zygons as a young woman pulled herself out of the painting's frame.

"Hello," the old man began.

"I'm the Doctor," the other said.

"I'm the Master."

"I'm the Rani."

"I'm Clara," the girl stepping out of the painting announced. "Unlike them, I don't feel the need to add an article to my name to sound more important."

Despite the four glares she got, she kept her smirk up.

* * *

** Again, all comments welcomed. **


	3. Chapter 3

**Day of the Trinity**

**By Michael Weyer**

* * *

The Doctor marched right to one of the woman in a suit and began speaking in a hard tone. "Kate Lethbridge-Stewart, just what in the name of sanity are you doing?!"

"The countdown can only be halted at my personal command," stated the other woman as the Doctor realized he'd been addressing the Zygon. "There's nothing you can do."

"Except make you stop it."

She shook her head. "No. Not even for all of you."

"Killing millions to save billions?" The Rani sniffed. "The way the human mind can justify genocide is truly a stunning trait."

"It's a sacrifice," Kate defended herself. "How many times have you made that, Doctor?"

"Once," he replied softly, his face drawn. "Turned me into the man I am today." He felt the other Time Lords staring at him. "Not even sure who that is anymore…"

The War Doctor glanced over to see the image of Romana giving him a meaningful look. He tried to ignore it, turning back to his other self.

"Go on, tell yourself it's justified," the Master snapped. "That doesn't make it right."

"And you know what's right?" Kate snorted. "My father used to tell me stories about you, called you one of the absolutely worst creatures he ever clashed with."

Instead of being insulted, the Master bowed his head as if honored. "Perhaps…But at least I had cause, if only in my own mind, to do what I did." He studied her. "I would never have said this to him when he was alive…but I respected your father. Oh, he was an insect to me but he never backed down from a fight, he always gave his all and wasn't afraid of me. I had to admire that, despite myself. He was a soldier."

"So you know why I'm doing this."

The Master's eyes flashed. "He wouldn't. Because whatever else, your father fought for life. He may have taken some in the process but he put his race first. What you're doing…you're throwing away the lives of millions of innocents without their knowledge. That's not the act of a soldier, it's an act of lunacy." He raised an eyebrow. "Believe me, I know all about that as well."

The Rani moved to the head of the table to face both sides. "There are millions of people above who have no idea they're about to be killed. Millions of women and children and such, an entire city. You really think they'll be 'honored' by your wonderful sacrifice?" She shook her head as she looked at both sides. "This is a waste. Both of you are wasting so much potential and I despise waste."

Kate glared at her. "We've heard of you. You're almost as bad as the Master. You treat innocent creatures as lab rats."

The Rani smiled. "Had we more time, I would love to debate on the intelligence of the 'beasts' you humans use for your own means. The fact remains that I never stooped to cold-blooded murder." She ignored the "really?" looks from the others. "Not like what you're doing. This is an absolute waste of lives and won't do either of you any good."

"I made a mistake that day." The Doctor glanced to his other self. "What I did was wrong. And because I made the wrong choice…I'm going to make sure you make the right one." He plopped himself down into a chair, his feet up on the table, arms crossed. The Master moved to hop onto the table itself as the Rani stood behind them. "Any minute now, you two are going to stop the countdown, together."

"You are then going to sit down and work out the most perfect peace treaty imaginable," the Rani continued.

"Safe guards all around, ensure lasting effects and we'll be overseeing each and every item," the Master added.

"And the key to the perfect negotiations?" the Doctor asked.

"Aside from killing those who disagree?" the Master retorted.

"Aside from that, yes."

"Not knowing what side you're on," the Rani stated.

Nodding, the Doctor leapt up to his feet as he and the other Time Lords removed a set of devices. "So, for the next few hours…"

"Until we decide to let you lot out…"

"Depending on whether or not we've killed any of you…"

"No one in this room will be able to remember if they're human…"

"Or Zygon."

With that, they raised their screwdrivers, the sound of whirring through the air as the Master's fired out a beam of light at the nearest memory filter. A white flash filled the room, as everyone else blinked in confusion. The two Kates exchanged stunned looks before yelling in unison _"Cancel the detonation!" _The red clock on the nearby wall stopped with five seconds remaining.

"Peace in our time," the Doctor smirked.

"No, no, this won't do," the Rani sighed, pushing her glasses up her nose as she pointed to one part of the document in front of her. "Full amnesty is nice but still doesn't leave proper protections from prosecution by Earth government." She made a note with a red marker. "Now, just agree to put in another layer and we have something."

"Don't forget sharing of technology," the Master added over her shoulder. "I know, giving major holographic technology to humans is a risk but a bit of sharing is nice, especially if you limit the ability to use it."

The two Kates seemed unsure but each was willing to go along with the requests. After all, given how neither was sure who they were, they weren't in any position to argue.

The Doctor was pacing a bit as he watched them make the few marks, doing his best to seem calm. Finally, the Rani and the Master looked over the paper and then to the Doctor, each nodding.

"Splendid!" the Doctor said as he perused the agreement himself. "There we go, best to wait until the effect wears off before you make your signatures and legally binding and all that but sure to be work out!"

He placed the paper on the table to smile at the two Kates. "Now, then, I'm sure the Zygons will find a way off planet, sure to be hospitable worlds out there, no need to come back to Earth and no reason for UNIT to go after them." The smile tightened. "I will be looking into it to be sure…so do try not to let me down."

The Rani crossed her arms. "I dislike when my input is ignored so I would also refrain from breaking this word."

The Doctor turned to see Clara nearby, frowning as he looked around. "Hold a mo…where's…"

"The other you?" She shrugged as she nodded to the TARDIS nearby, the blue box solid as ever. "He stepped into that, then it seemed to…well…duplicate before the other part of it vanished."

The Doctor was jarred, realizing he'd been so into working out the treaty, he'd ignored that familiar sound. "Huh. Did he say…"

"I was talking to him and…well…he said it was time to grow up."

The Doctor's face fell at that. "Ah. Well, then. I know where he's gone."

* * *

The shack was exactly the same except for the Moment. Before it had been a steampunk box, now it resembled a lotus blossom, spread out in white and gold with a large flower-shaped stem with a large red gem at its center. "You said you wanted a big red button," the projection of Romana said. Her gentle tone hardened. "Press that…and it's over. No more Daleks. No more Time Lords." She leaned in. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"I was," the War Doctor softly answered. "There's no other way."

"Even after seeing the man you become?'

"That man?" A soft smile came to the elderly face. "Extraordinary."

"He's you."

"No. He's the Doctor."

"As are you."

The old man shook his head. "Great men are forged in fire. It is the privilege of lesser men to light the flame…whatever the cost."

Romana sighed. "You weren't so philosophical when I knew you. You were child-like, a fool was my first impression. A man who could travel the universe and time and yet treated it like a game." She smiled. "But you showed me the universe was more than what the Time Lords taught us in school. I realized why you left, why you wanted to explore and to help others. You…were an amazing man, Doctor. You still are."

He just stared at the red button, lost in his thoughts. "That man…was a child. And now…it's past time I grew up at last." He lifted up his hand toward the button.

"Remember how I used to chide you on the TARDIS sounds?" Romana asked. "The grinding and the wheezing, how it drove me mad at first? I realize now why it is, why you never fixed it. Because that sound…that sound of your arrival…That sound brings hope to those who hear it." She leaned forward. "Anyone. Anyone who is lost."

At that moment, he heard it, that grinding and wheezing echoing through the shack with the familiar gusts of wind. He turned his head as he saw it come into view. It wasn't alone as another box came to be, resembling a large wardrobe, its grinding far softer. There was a pause before the Doctor exited his TARDIS with Clara behind him, the Master and the Rani coming from the other.

The old man sighed deeply. "What are you doing here?"

"A good question," the Rani stated. "The whole war should be time-locked. We shouldn't have been able to arrive here."

"Unless something let us," the Master related.

"Clever boy," Romana smiled.

The War Doctor turned his back. "Go away. Be the Doctor I never could. And you two…you shouldn't be here."

"I had to be," the Master said, leaning on a wall. "I had to see it myself. The Doctor turned into the killer."

"Just to know," the Rani agreed. "Just to know it was true…"

The Doctor moved to his younger self that looked so old, his face somber. "All this time," he softly said. "Through three lives…Burying you in my memory. Pretending you didn't exist, even from myself." His eyes were misty. "Pretending you weren't the Doctor when you were the Doctor more than anybody else." He put a hand on the older man. "You were the Doctor on the way it wasn't possible to get it right."

He put a hand over the button. "This time…you don't have to do it alone."

The War Doctor looked to this other self and saw the determination in his eyes, the regret but the desire to see it through. And for the first time, he felt this man truly was him. "Thank you."

Another hand came over the gem and the two looked up to see the Master beside them, his face drawn. "I've killed so many worlds in my past…What's one more?"

"Master…" the Doctor began.

"You know what that bastard Rassilon did to me, Doctor," his old foe put in. "He helped make me into what I became. It only makes sense that he reaps what he sows with the rest of them." That tight smile came to his face. "At least now, you can assuage yourself a bit. Tell yourself it wasn't just you. Because may I say, this martyr bit gets very, very tiring to listen to."

"This is our choice," the Doctor snapped. "Our decision. Our guilt."

"Gods above and below, your ego is unmatched." The Rani moved next to them. "Become the last of your kind, to wipe out our people and you think you can just let that be your legacy? That somehow you're the only one deserving to carry that with you? And now the Master joining in, that makes it even more ludicrous." She shook her head. "The hell with it. I'm not letting you two morons drag your infantile rivalry to this length by yourselves." She placed her hand on theirs, all over the red button.

The War Doctor looked at them and suddenly chuckled. "They always said at the Academy that the three of us together would be the death of so many teachers…" The others chuckled with, more out of nerves than true humor. "What we do today," the Doctor began. "Is not out of fear or hatred. It is done because there is no other way…"

"Can we please just stop the speeches and do it?" the Rani snapped. The look in her eyes wasn't her usual clinical coldness. It was something even her long-conditioned control could not prevent from coming to the fore. It was the fear of a woman about to see her world die once more…and this time, she would be a cause of it.

"Right," the Doctor said. "Right…just…press it down…" He stopped as he saw Clara nearby, her face crestfallen with tears in her eyes. "What?"

"It's just…" She swallowed. "You told me you wiped out your own people. But…I never actually imagined…_you _doing it."

"She's right." The Romana image was sitting on a nearby box, staring at the tableau before her. "This is the Moment, Doctor, my moment but yours as well. And theirs." In a flash, the group was surrounded by a holographic image of the battlefields of Arcadia.

"What is this?" Clara asked, startled.

"Just a projection," the War Doctor tried to brush off.

"It's reality," Romana corrected. "It's happening now."

They stared out at the chaos, the blasts of lasers, the illumination of skeletons as bodies were struck, explosions ripping apart flesh and stone alike. The images of soldiers were there but also civilians, women and children crying as they ran in mostly vain for shelter.

"This…this is it?" Clara stared at a crying girl who appeared to be barely seven. "These are the people you're going to burn?"

"There's no other way," the War Doctor said.

"He's right," her Doctor added, his voice tight. "There's nothing I can do. There's nothing else. It's either end Gallifrey or the universe burns."

"No."

It was the Master who had spoken, his face now firm and resolute as he looked to the Doctor. "No, it's not."

"Master…"

"You said you did your best to forget him," the Master said, motioning to the War Doctor. "But that meant forgetting yourself. And that's what you're doing right now, you're forgetting yourself."

"He's right," the Rani intoned, her eyes warmer than the Doctor had ever seen them. "You say nothing can be done but look at us. We shouldn't be here but we are. Maybe because we're meant to be. Meant to remind you of what you can be."

"She's the scientist," the Master said. "I'm the warrior. Any old fool can be a hero," he nodded to the War Doctor again. "But you…"

"What?" the Doctor asked, not angry but truly wondering. "What about me? What should I do?"

"What you've always done," she answered.

"Be a Doctor," the Master said.

"When you told us the name you'd chosen, we laughed," the Rani said. "But you explained it was a promise. A promise you made to yourself and the universe."

"Never cruel or cowardly," he whispered under his breath.

"Never give up," the War Doctor rasped. "Never give in…"

The hologram winked away, leaving them back in the shack. They stared at the man in the bow tie as he mused over their words. "Four hundred years, I've thought about this," he stated. "And I think it's time to do something dangerous."

"Change history?" the Master asked.

"No." A smile came to his old enemy's face. "Change my mind."

He pulled out his screwdriver and aimed it at the Moment, causing the red button to lower itself down. Despite themselves, the Rani and the Master both let out sighs of obvious relief. "About damn time," the Master had to say.

From her box, the image of Romana was beaming ear to ear. The mood in the shack suddenly changed. The melancholy was gone now as the four Time Lords began to pace, each tight in thought. Clara felt her heart race as she realized she was witnessing the rare event of four incredible geniuses working together.

"There's still a billion billion Daleks up there," the War Doctor stated.

"Yes, there is," the Doctor noted as he paced about. "But, there's one thing those billion billion Daleks don't know."

"Because if they did, they'd send for reinforcements," the Rani said as she got a stick from a nearby pile.

"This time, there's all of us together," the Master said, rubbing his chin.

The Rani was scratching on the dirt, creating a circle and then various small x's and dots around it. "All right," she began as she crouched down. "Gallifrey in the center, Dalek fleet surrounding it, constant barrage without letup. The question is exactly how can we protect the planet from those attacks? Especially considering I saw it wiped out."

"Did you?" the Doctor pressed.

She glared at him. "That's not something I forget, Doctor. I saw the explosions, I saw the flash, I saw it vanish as if it never was."

"As if never was…" the War Doctor whispered. He let out a loud gasp, his hands to his forehead. "Oh! Oh, yes! Yes, of course! Of course! Oh, that is good, that is brilliant!"

The other three looked at him in confusion as he moved forward, placing his foot on the drawing of the planet and swept it out to wipe the circle away. The other three looked at the spot before their eyes widened. "Oh…oh, that is...brilliant!" the Master laughed loudly.

"I've been thinking about it for _centuries!" _the elder Doctor laughed with a surfer's pose as the Master stood up.

The Rani stared at the spot blankly. "That….that's insane. It's completely…" She stopped as her lips pulled upward. "It…could work. It could…actually…_work." _She laughed out loud herself as she rose, slapping a hand at her TARDIS. "That's amazing!"

"She didn't just show me _any _old future!" the War Doctor cried out. "She showed me _exactly _the future I needed to see!"

"Takes a while but you get there," Romana smiled warmly.

"Oh, Romanadvoratrelundar, you wonderful, wonderful girl, I could kiss you!"

"Keep dreaming," the image chuckled.

"Wait," the Doctor said, his face in confusion. "Romana?"

"So, what are we doing?" Clara asked. "What's the plan?"

The War Doctor was quick to answer, hoping to distract his other self. "The Dalek fleet is surrounding Gallifrey, firing on it constantly."

"It's holding for now but buckling," the Rani added.

"But," the Master said. "What if the whole planet just…disappeared?" He made a "whoosh" motion with his hands.

"Tiny bit of an ask," Clara said, baffled.

"Gallifrey goes and the Dalek fleet finds nothing to be unleashing their barrage on," the Rani clarified. "They'd destroy each other in the crossfire, a massive explosion!"

"Gallifrey would be gone, the Daleks destroyed and it would look to the rest of the universe as if they annihilated each other!" the War Doctor finished.

"But…where would it go?"

"Frozen," the Rani said, a smug smile on her lips. "Frozen in a single instant of time."

"Exactly…" the Master added.

"Like a painting," the War Doctor threw in.

As Clara reeled from this realization, the Master turned to the others. "We need it to work…I'm going to need a transport."

"I know just the place," the Doctor stated as he headed to his own TARDIS. "Ever been to a cosmic junkyard?"

The War Doctor paused to look at the Moment. The image of Romana gave a warm smile as she started to fade away. "Go, now. Today, you are the Doctor. You always were, you just needed to remember."

"Thank you," the War Doctor whispered. He turned and took a breath, feeling more like himself than he had in far too many centuries.

* * *

The War Council room was set up with a huge holographic table, Time Lords in dark red uniforms surrounding it. The room shook with each savage barrage from above, dust flowing about as screens showed the countless skirmishes breaking out. The High General marched in, his cloak billowing, his face with bald head intense as he spoke. "Are you sure it's him?"

"Oh, yes, sir," his aide said as he pointed to the table. A single panel showed a screen with two simple words.

**GALLIFREY STANDS.**

The General shook his head. "What's the mad fool up to now?"

There was a buzzing as a holographic screen flashed to show a familiar bearded face. _"Hello, War Council of Gallifrey! This is the Doctor."_

Another screen appeared to show a younger man with a bow tie. _"Hello there! Also the Doctor!"_

A third screen formed to show a white-haired man in the interior of a TARDIS that looked far less put together than one normally would be. _"This is the Master. Standing by."_

A final screen flashed to show a woman nodding to them. _"The Rani reporting, standing by."_

The General groaned in dismay. "Oh, dear God, the Unholy Trinity, together again! All my worst nightmares at once!"

_"Gentlemen, we have a plan," _the Doctor announced.

_"It should be pointed out at this moment that it is a rather terrible plan," _the Rani added.

_"And it probably won't work," _the Master threw in.

_"I was going to be satisfied with just terrible."_

_ "Right, sorry."_

_ "We're flying our TARDISes into your lower atmosphere," _the Doctor stated. A nearby screen showed the image of four craft sweeping over the planet.

The Master cursed a bit as he adjusted a control. _"Damn, this is roughshod work."_

_ "You planned it," _the Rani stated. "_And still better than the antique the Doctor uses."_

_ "True."_

_ OI!" _

_ "We're positioned at equidistant intervals around the globe." _The Rani adjusted her controls.

_"Just about ready to do it," _the War Doctor said.

"Do what?" the General asked, baffled.

_"We're going to freeze Gallifrey."_

"I'm sorry…you're…what?"

_"Using our TARDISes, we're going to freeze Gallifrey in a single moment of time," _the Rani explained.

_"You know, like those stasis cubes?"_ the War Doctor clarified. _"A single moment in time, held in a parallel pocket universe."_

_"Except we're going to do it to an entire planet and everyone one it."_

The General shook his head, trying to wrap himself around the concept. "But…even if that were possible…which it's not…why would you do this?" He looked to the Master especially. "Any of you?"

_"Because the alternative is burning," _the Master said.

_"And we've seen that," _the Rani added with a flash of pain.

_"And none of us ever want to see it again." _The Doctor's tone was hard, making it clear that this was something he considered quite serious.

The general was still in denial about this. "We'd be lost in another universe…frozen in a single moment. We'd…we'd have nothing!"

_"You would have hope!" _the Doctor insisted. _"And right now, that's the one thing you don't have!"_

"It's delusional!" the General exclaimed. "The calculations alone would take…hundreds of years!"

_"Eight hundred and seventeen to be exact," _the Rani said.

"_But don't worry," _the Master said with a smirk. _"We started work on this a very long time ago."_

The scanners suddenly came alive with various colored dots. Many were in the shape of blue police boxes but other forms were about as well: A Roman column, cabinets, a grandfather clock, a tree, and more. The screens above came to life with the images of various men and women of assorted ages and appearances. All had a cube on their consoles and all were working frantically at their various controls.

_"Calling the War Council of Gallifrey, this is the Doctor."_

_ "In fact…you might say we've been planning this all our lives."_

_ "This is the Rani, standing ready."_

_ "The Master, working calculations."_

_ "Easy with that turn!"_

_ "No need to be snippy with me."_

_ "Across the boundaries that divide one universe from another…"_

_ "Soon there…soon there…"_

_ "No, no, you head to the north side!"_

_ "East!"_

_ "I'm three hundred years older than you, Rani, trust me, it's north."_

_ "Trust you?"_

_ "What? Can't trust yourself?"_

_ "Would you?"_

_ "True."_

_ "This had better be worth the effort…"_

_ "Saving Gallifrey. Talk about ironic…"_

_ "And for my next trick…"_

In his TARDIS, the eldest Doctor noted the scanners and how the various craft were coming into formation. "I'm surprised," he said in the channel to the Master he knew. "You've never been the type to play well with others. And that includes yourself."

"I may have given them the impression it's a massive power grab," his old foe said. "They'd never believe me if it was altruistic. Which they shouldn't."

"Less talk, boys, more preparation," the Rani stated. "At least my side has things done in a professional manner."

The General closed his eyes in pain. "I didn't know when I was well off! All their past personas!"

"No, sir!" an aide called out. "Their future ones too!"

_In one police box, a pair of grey eyebrows arched up as a switch was thrown. _

_ In a black cabinet, a man dressed in a dark suit, gloves and curly black hair smirked as he spun a lever._

_ Inside an elaborate statue, a regal-looking woman with dark blonde hair slammed down on a button._

The control room shook hard. "Sir!" the aide called out. "The Daleks know something is happening! They're increasing their firepower!"

The General stared at the readouts of the planet under siege and then up at the screens. "Do it," he whispered, his voice now accepting and hopeful. "Doctor, Master, Rani…just do it."

Inside his TARDIS, the Doctor nodded as he made sure the cube on his console was set. "Gentlemen…ladies…we're ready." He grinned as he yanked back on a lever. "Geronimo!"

The Master smirked as he leaned to his own lever. "Here…come… the drums!"

The Rani couldn't help it as she yanked back on her controls. "Tally-ho!"

"Oh, for God's sake…" the War Doctor muttered. "Gallifrey stands!"

He threw his lever, the motion repeated in various other craft. As one, the TARDISes surrounding the planet stopped at one exact spot, each emitting a blast of energy. There was one massive flash of white…

And the universe was never the same again.

* * *

"I don't suppose we'll know if we actually succeeded," the War Doctor said as he sipped his tea. "But at worst, we failed doing the right thing, as opposed to succeeding in doing the wrong."

He, the Doctor, the Master and the Rani were sitting in the National Gallery within London, all staring at the painting of Gallifrey. "What was this called again?" the Rani asked.

"Well, there's some debate," the Doctor told her. "Either _No More_ or _Gallifrey Falls_."

"How'd it get here?"

"No idea."

"There's always something we don't know, isn't there?" the Master intoned.

"It's our lot." The War Doctor rose to his feet. "Well…it has been…" He paused to consider his words. "An honor. And a privilege." He shook hands with his older self. "If I grow up half the man Clara Oswald is, I will be happy."

"Aim high," the woman smiled.

The War Doctor paused before the Master. "You and I…to think how much you change…"

"Don't worry," the Master said. "You probably won't remember any of this."

"The time streams are out of sync," the Rani noted. "You won't be able to retain the memories."

"So I won't remember that I tried to save Gallifrey rather than burn it." The War Doctor sighed. "I'll have to live with that." He brightened. "But for now…for this moment…I am the Doctor again. Thank you." He looked to the four TARDISes standing side by side. "Now which one…ah." He stepped into it and with the familiar grinding and groaning, it faded away.

The Doctor looked over to the other two Time Lords. "So…all this time…all this trouble…in the end, it's the three of us."

"I suppose I should be going," the Master said. "It probably won't be long before someone notices my resemblance to an insane late Prime Minister."

The Doctor stared at him. "What will you do?"

"You mean, am I going to start on a murder spree?" The Master considered. "To be honest…I'm not sure. You can't expect me to change that much, Doctor. I'm thinking clearer than I ever had before but…I'm still me."

"Yes," the Doctor softly said. "But…you've been given so many second chances, Master. Maybe for once…you actually use one right?"

"You could stop me."

"After what we just went through…It wouldn't be right."

The Master moved to his TARDIS, fumbling with the lock. "Have to improve this damn thing…" He stopped at the doorway to look at the Doctor and smiled. "I have to admit…you and me…We made a good team for once, Doctor. In the future…who knows?" He entered, shutting the door behind him. With a slightly louder grinding, his cabinet vanished away.

The Rani was moving to her own TARDIS. "This has been…an eye-opener in many ways." She looked to the Doctor. "You're going to regret letting him go like that."

"I regret a great many things, Rani. Are you going to be added to that list?"

"Perhaps…" She considered herself. "But then…this experience has taught me that sometimes…helping others isn't that bad a thing after all. Something to consider in my work later on." She moved to open the door. "But, for now, I need to keep a promise to a Queen."

The Doctor chuckled. "Ah, can't wait to see how the historians record that one…"

"I make my own history, Doctor. I'm not stopping now." She shut the door and with a cool buzzing, her column disappeared.

The Doctor sat down, staring at the spot they had gone. "Are you sure you're ok?" Clara asked. "I mean, given what those two have done…"

"They helped, Clara. In the end…they helped."

"You're going to look at the painting, right?"

"How did you know?"

"Those big sad eyes. I always know." She started to back away. "Oh, by the way, there was an old man looking for you, I think he was the curator."

She walked away as the Doctor gazed at the painting, smiling to himself. "I could be a curator," he said to the air. "I'd be great at curating. I could be the Great Curator, retire and work at a place like this."

"You know, I really think you might."

The Doctor froze as he heard the voice. It was old but so, so familiar. He turned his head as a figure walked to him, a white-haired man in a tweed suit leaning on a cane. The Doctor slowly rose to pace to the other man, staring intently at his image. "I know you. I never forget a face."

"I know you don't," the Curator stated with that bright-toothed grin. "And in years to come, you might find yourself revisiting a few. But just the old favorites, eh?" He winked. The Doctor just stared in wonder as the man moved to the painting. "You were curious about this painting, I think. I acquired it in remarkable circumstances. What do you make of the title?"

"Which title?" the Doctor asked. "There's two. _No More_ or _Gallifrey Falls_."

The Curator shook his head with a smile. "Oh, no, you see, that's where everybody is wrong. It's all one title." He waved his hand to emphasize each word. "_Gallifrey Falls No More_." His eyes twinkled. "Now, what would you think that means, eh?"

The Doctor stared in wonder, his jaw dropping in realization. "That Gallifrey didn't fall. It worked. It's still out there!"

The man shrugged. "I'm only a humble curator. I'm sure I wouldn't know."

"Then where is it?" the Doctor pressed.

"Where is it indeed? Lost." The Curator put a hand to his lips. "Shush. Perhaps. Things do get lost, you know. And now you must excuse me. Oh, you have a lot to do."

"Do I?" The Curator smirked. "Is that what I'm supposed to do now? Go looking for Gallifrey?"

"Oh, it's entirely up to you. Your choice, eh?" The Curator was playing innocent but obviously every word he said had meaning. "I can only tell you what I would do if I were you. Oh, if I were you. Oh, perhaps I was you, of course. Or perhaps you are me. Congratulations."

"Thank you very much," the Doctor said and meant it.

That shrug was made once more. "Or perhaps it doesn't matter either way. Who knows, eh?" He tapped his eye, then his nose. "Who. Knows?" He gave a final smile before walking away slowly, leaning on the cane. The Doctor watched him go and then looked to the painting, his entire demeanor now transformed.

The Curator rounded a corner and stopped as he saw the two people before him. One was a man with a jet black goatee, touches of grey in his hair, his eyes deep and penetrating, in a black suit. The other was an attractive women in her 50's, her large dark hairdo also a bit of grey but still intelligent, clad in a scarlet dress.

The Curator paused as he looked to them and smiled. "So…I'm not the only one who likes to revisit a new face now and then."

"A curator," the man noted. "You were the academic sort."

"And you?"

"Still a scientist," the woman said. "I just decide to…work on a different level now."

"Still go by…"

"It's a bit too presumptuous these days," the man said. "I rather find a professor sets people at ease more."

The Curator chuckled to himself. "Well, that just fits, doesn't it?" He looked them both over. "It has been a few ages."

"Since that day," the Scientist said. "It changed so much for all of us."

"Not as much as I'd hoped." The Curator gave a harder glare at the Professor, who merely shrugged. "I told you…I was still me."

Instead of anger, the Curator seemed to accept that. "Yes…yes, you were. And still are."

"You gave him the message?" the Scientist asked.

"I did. It'll take him a while, of course, there's that messy business on Trenzalore that takes up a few centuries and after that…" The Curator shrugged. "Well, he wasn't exactly the most personable person."

"I do recall," the Professor said with a smile. "But…he was just like the rest. One amazing man."

"All of them," the Scientist noted. "I hate to admit it but they all are."

The Curator bowed his head. "Thank you." He looked them over. "So…busy?"

"Why?"

"I just thought…you never know when we'll be like this again. Together, not at each other's throats…One last round perhaps?"

The other two looked at each other for a moment before sharing nods. Each took the arm of the older man, pausing to remember times long past and those yet to come. Then, the Curator, the Professor and the Scientist marched arm-in-arm to the streets of London to honor that bond they'd long held.

* * *

**So that's that. Hope you all enjoyed this tale, the last bit just hit me as a nice way to honor the late Roger Delgado and Kate Mara. As for the "future" Master and Rani above, feel free to imagine a favorite actor in those roles for a cameo (personally, had Benedict Cumberbatch and Lena Headey in mind). All comments welcomed, hope you enjoyed. **


End file.
